Safety razor



Sept. 27, 1932.

G. HFMANN 1,879,900

sAFET RAZOR Filed Feb. 6, 1952 lHHIlI atented Sept. 27, 1932 GEORGEHOFMANN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS SAFETY RAZOR Application mea Februarye. 1932. serial No. 591,238.

This invention relates to safety razors of the type in which anindependent blade 1s secured removably between clamping members, one ofwhich is a guard to prevent the razor 5 from cutting the skin over whichit is passed in the course of shaving. Its object is to provide new andimprovedconnection between the handle and the releasable clamp member,which enables such releasable Clamp member` m to be permanently hingedto the complemental clamp or guard member, and also to be drawn againstthe blade with uniformity of pressure from end to end and from side toside. The characteristics in which the\invention consist are made plainby the following descriptlon inconnection with the drawing and the apl'pended claims.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a side view of, the razor with the clampmember disconnected from its clutch andswung aside in condition forplacement or removal of a blade.

Fig. 2 is a plan view, as seen from above, of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a blade of the wafer type adapted to be usedwith this razor.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken throu h the axisof the handle and transversely to t e complemental clamping members,showing the parts coupled together, 3o with a blade in place,`incondition for shav- Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but showing theclutch disengaged and the clamps in condition either for couplingy togrip the blade or for separation to permit removal of the blade. Figs. 6and 7 are) cross sections taken on lines 6 6 and 7-7 respectively ofFig. 5. y Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional view show- 4() ing the hingedconnection between the clamping members, these members being in therelation shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 9 is a view of the same parts shown in Fig. 8, but representedinfposition prepara-\ 5 tory to gripping theblade.

Fig. 10 is a side elevation of a modified form of razor in which theclamping parts are hinged together on a longitudinal axis at one as'shown in Figs. 1 and2.

side instead of on a transverse axis at one end,

Fig. 11 is a plan view of la. type of blade usable Withthe razor shownin Fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a plan view of the razor shown in Fig. 10, with the hingedclamp member turned aside.

'Like reference characters designate the same parts wherever they appearin all flgures.

This razor comprises threemain parts,

namely, a handle 1, a combined clam and guard member 2, and a clamp memer 8. For convenience of description the member 2 will be called theguard simply, and the member 3 will becalled the clam These members arepermanentlyconnecte together 65 and provided 'with clutch means fordrawing the clamp against the guard and gripping a blade between them;the permanent connection making it easy to open up the clamp forplacement and removal of the blade and as- 7 suring that when the partsare so opened they will remain in the correct relation to one another. lThe connection between guard 2 and clamp 3 is made by lugs 4 on theguard pro- 'u jee-ting from one end thereof, lugs 5 on the clampvprojecting from Vt-he adjacent end of the clampand lianking the lugs 4,and screws 6, one of which is set into each of the lugs 5 and projectsinto a hole in the adjacent lug 4. These holes are larger than theprojections inthe screw Shanks which occupy them, or may be simplyelongated' in the same general direction as the length di mension of thehandle. This is an important factor of the invention in that it enablesthe, clamp to be moved bodily toward and away from the guard when placedover the latter to grip the blade.

The handle is a tube which is set at one end into a sleeve 7 and securedtherein by a screw 8. Sleeve 7 is virtually a part of the guard. It maybemade as an originally separate piece of tubing placed and secured in acentral hole in the guard, or it may be made in one integral piecetherewith. It is provided with an internal shoulder or equivalent stopabutment 9 to establish a definite limit to the outward movement of aclutch "later described. However, such shoulder is ,"A'?

- (i ment stops of other character which may beV about its axis.

have interior latching shoulders 13 and eX terior cam or wedgingsurfaces 14. The unslotted end part 15 of this clutch'sleeve iscylindrical and is dimensioned to fit slidingly within the handle tube.-It is preventedrfrom rotating by a key, here shown as a screw 16 setinto the side of the handle tube and protruding into a longitudinalgroove 17 in the clutch sleeve. Between the sliding part 15 and thewedging surfaces, the clutch sleeve is reduced in diameter. Its jaws areof spring character and made with an outward set radially so that whenunconined they tend to spring apart, as shown in Fig. 5, and even morewidely than there shown. i

The sliding part 15 of the clutch sleeve is internally threaded and isengaged with the threads 18 of an operating shaft 19, the

outer end of which is coupled with a knob 20. That part of the shaftwhich connects with the knob is of smaller diameter than the body of theshaft, and passes through a bearing sleeve 22, secured inthe handle by ascrew 23, or otherwise, and serving both as a lateral'bearing and athrust bearing for the shaft. The knob or handle 2O has a socket intowhich the extremity of the shaft passes and in which it is secured by apin 24. The inner end of this knob enters the outer end of the handletube and abuts against the outer side of bearing sleeve 22. Inassembling the parts of the razor, tle

shaft, knob and bearing sleeve are all assembled outside of the handle,with the bearing sleeve confined between the inner end ofv the knob andshoulder 21 on the shaft, and then inserted into the handle.

- knob in onedirection the clutch jaws may be advanced toward the guardplate until they passbeyond the beveled cam face 10 ofthe handle tube,whereupon they spring apart, as shown in Fig. 5; while by rotation ofthe knob in the other direction, the jaws are-withdrawn into the handletubel and squeezed together by co-action of their wedge surfaces 14 withthe cam shoulder 10. Such movements of the clutch jaws in oppositedirections may be limited on the one hand by shoulder 9 and on the otherby the end of the screw thread 18, or by equivalent abutsubstituted.4Thus, for instance, limit stops may be placed in the groove 17 atopposlte sides of the key 1 6.

This stud is adapted to pass through the central hole in the guard andinto the sleeve 7, and between the clutch jaws when the latter are inthe position shown in Fig. 5. At such times the latching shoulders ofthe clutch jaws are spread apart more widely than the rim of the studhead 26, so that the latter is free to pass between them. But when theclutch sleeve is drawn outward, its jaws are first brought radiallyinward until their shoulders overlap the rim of the stud head, andfurther movement of the jaws pulls the clamp against the guard by meansof the coupling afforded by this stud. l

The clutch coupling and hin e co-operate in enabling the clamp to berawn bodily and pressed equally in all parts against the blade J27. Thatblade is one of the flexible r wafer type which is'ibent out of aplaneinto a cylindrical arc when the clamp is tight- Lened. In effect thesingle line contact berection necessary to distribute and equalize' itspressure over all parts of the blade on which it bears. While ampleforce may be thus applied to flex and grip the blade, nevertheless thereis nothing rigid in the coupling except in the direction of the tensilestress: that is, nothing to cause rigidity in the line of connectionwith the handle, such as is found in screw connections between thehandle and clamp of razor designs heretofore known.

The diiference between a razor above described and that shown in Fi s.10, 11 and 12, is simpl that the latter is esigned to use a single e gedblade 28 and its clamp is hinged to one side of the guard on alongitudinal axis, but the characteristics of the hinge andthe couplingmeans for the clamp are substantially identical with those previous- 04ly described. It will be apparent that by rotatmg `the What I claim anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A safety razor comprisinlaiguard having a hole through it, a clampged loosely to said guard for placement in blade-clamping relationtherewith and in open position for reception and removal of blades, thel bore in register with the hole therein, se arable clutch jaws movableendwise wit in the handle arranged to ,overlap and engage: 11,30

the head of said vstud while the latter proclamp having a headed studadapted to pass jects into the handle, means to prevent the jaws fromprotruding beyond the blade-supporting face of the guard, and a shoulderin the handle, located inwardly of such bladesupporting face in positionto crowd the jaws together when moved lengthwise away from theirposition of nearest approach to said face.

2. A safety razor, comprisin a tubular handle, a guard member secure toone end of said handle and having an opening through which access existsto the interiorA of the handle, a clamp hinged to the guard member on anaxis transverse to the length dimension of the handle, a headed studprotruding from the central part of the clamp adapted to enter thehandle when the clamp is in blade-gripping relation to the guard member,a clutch longitudinal-ly movable and having its entire range of suchmovement in the interior of the handle, said clutch comprising jawsadapted to overlap the rim of the stud head, sald clutch in itsuppermost position being free from engagement with said stud when thelatter is inserted into ysaid handle to insure the engagement of saidjaws with the stud when the clamp is placed in proper closed positionrelative to the blade and guard, and means for moving the clutch toengage the jaws with the stud.

In testimony whereof I have aixed my signature.

GEORGE HOFMANN.

